Vet Schools with Wildlife Programs

[chaser1423]

Hi everyone,

I am trying to figure out what schools I am going to apply to and I am interested in wildlife medicine. Ideally, I want to go to a vet school with a wildlife clinic or opportunities for vet students to get involved with wildlife as early as first year. My list right now is comprised of Tufts, Cornell, UC Davis, UF, and University of Illinois. What other schools have a wildlife program?

Thanks in advance!

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[SkiOtter]

Please please PLEASE go to the cheapest school you can, which is usually your in state. Wildlife medicine does not make much money so minimizing your debt should be top priority. You will have plenty of time to seek out opportunities during summers and fourth year if your school does not have a wildlife clinic. All of the schools you listed are pretty pricey.

 

[MixedAnimals77]

What ski said. Minimize your debt and apply to places your application fits with for the greatest chance of getting in. WSU has a small exotics program comparative to IL from my understanding and we had a girl in my class match to the exotic internship of her choice. She networked and worked her own way through!

 

[battie]

1) School is ranked low by internship and residency directors when considering applicants. Going to a school known for something does not necessarily make it easier for you to go down that route.

2) Networking and establishing relationships is a major aspect of getting into a specialty. And just because there is a specialty at a school does not make the networking easier. I would say a minimum to a third to as much of half of each class at IL starts out wanting wildlife/zoo med. Only 4 people from 2019 through to 2021 have matched a zoo/wildlife residency.

3) You never know what will change in the 4 years of vet school. Going to your cheapest option will absolutely make life easier overall, especially in extenuating circumstances.

 

[lav]

Everyone has super valid points above, so definitely take those into consideration. To answer your question though, UGA also does wildlife and has a Wildlife Treatment Crew that you can be a part of to get experience before clinical years.

 

[SnowJ]

Minnesota has the Raptor Center and the Wildlife Rehab center is nearby, but out of state tuition is very high. I recommend cheapest school and networking over summer, at conventions, etc as a much better bet tbh.

 

[max_wildlife]

Hey, I go to Tufts. I volunteer in the wildlife hospital but I had to skip classes to make it work. It's not an accessible option for a majority of people, and my grades have certainly taken a hit for it. It's an expensive school, and I'm largely there for family health/geography issues. I'm doing wildlife work this summer elsewhere, but through networking. I'm not a vet yet, but I have been working in the wildlife field for about ten years now outside of vet school, and was lucky to have people/mentors looking out for me during those years, and even still. So I can't stress enough how important it is to build those connections in any branch of the wildlife world.

I always offer this advice but if you're serious about wildlife, one of the best things I think you can do is reach out to wildlife faculty at your schools of interest and ask about the opportunities available to students to get a better picture of your options. most will say go the cheaper school and that's good advice, but even so building those connections can help you develop summer or even career research project ideas and introduce you to other people in the field across the different schools.

 

[BigCats]

One thing I’ll also add is that if you do go to a school with a strong wildlife program, so will a lot of other people who are also interested in wildlife. I go to UF and would say at least a quarter of my class came in with a strong interest in zoo/aquatics/wildlife. So even if there are more opportunities, you have to balance it out with the fact that competition for these opportunities can be a lot greater. Sometimes it’s not so bad to be a big fish in a small pond, you know?

I’ll also agree with Max in that many of the opportunities I’ve had so far have been through connections I’ve formed outside of the vet school. One thing I would keep in mind while making your schools list is the amount of time off you get for externships. Some schools are more generous with this than others, and that is something that would be important for me in having the chance to get experience and make connections with vets in your field of interest.

 

[SkiOtter]

One thing I’ll also add is that if you do go to a school with a strong wildlife program, so will a lot of other people who are also interested in wildlife. I go to UF and would say at least a quarter of my class came in with a strong interest in zoo/aquatics/wildlife. So even if there are more opportunities, you have to balance it out with the fact that competition for these opportunities can be a lot greater. Sometimes it’s not so bad to be a big fish in a small pond, you know?

Definitely the case at illinois too, like bats had mentioned

 

[max_wildlife]

Definitely the case at illinois too, like bats had mentioned

Tufts too. Maybe even half.